This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey | Share The Word

Give Praise To Those Who Give Their All

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Mark Shields

This day with You Lord, let our praise ever be on our lips. We live in Your light, trust in Your love, and step ahead in this life with total effort. The principles You teach in Your word never let us down and are essentials for life that are flawless. They provide treasure in heaven which is worth much more than silver or gold. Amen.

Give praise to those that give their all as Jesus gave praise to the poor widow who gave two small coins to the temple treasury. We give praise to Jesus today who gave all and died for all on the Cross. As pointed out in the song Ever Be by Aaron Shust, let the praise of the Lord ever be on our lips.

Posted in Bible Study, Devotionals, Worship | Tagged Bible Study, Devotional, Effort, Heaven, Music, Poor, Praise, Rich, Treasure, Worship | 1 Comment

A Place to Flourish and Bloom

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Mark Shields

Photo Source – Bing Images

Love is life and you never fail as long as love is in your heart so desire to learn the principles of Christ, invite Him into your heart to guide your every step, and build a bridge from a place of doom to a place where you flourish and bloom.

Posted in Devotionals, Love | Tagged Devotional, Faith, Family, Guidance, Hope, Love, Music, Neighbors, Praise, Relationships, Worship | 1 Comment

Our Duty and Responsibility

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Mark Shields

In meeting our duties and responsibilities in doing the Lord’s work, let us discover our place or function and concentrate on doing it well. Receive encouragement from this poem.

Step Ahead

It seems improbable
But not impossible
When we work together
To make it possible.

For the Lord is our strength
To fulfill our duty
And make it a thing 
Of tremendous beauty.

As we come daily
Into His presence 
At any time or any place 
Through prayer and patience.

With a tremendous 
Power to fulfill 
Duties as followers 
To meet His will. 

For through the Spirit,
We are His children
Using our gift for the 
Purpose of kingdom building.


Poem by Mark Shields – © 04-22-2021
Inspired by
“Our Duty and Responsibility”

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Posted in Poems | Tagged Duty, Photo, Poetry, Prayer, Responsibility, spirituality, Strength, Teamwork | Leave a comment

Questions for Reflection for Study of Mark 13 – 14

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Mark Shields

We live in a busy world with busy schedules and being able to share some thoughts about this journey with others across this world through the Internet is truly a blessing. The below Questions for Reflection will stimulate thought and offer ideas for applying biblical principles at work, at home, and in all we do.

Mark 13:1-36 – What are Jesus’ forewarnings about future happenings? How will this knowledge equip us to face the future with endurance? What will the Son of man do when He comes in the future?

Mark 14:1-9 – What is the priests and scribes’ concern as to the timing of their plan? How do the people in Simon’s house feel about the woman’s act? In what areas are God’s values different from yours?

Mark 14:10-16 – Why, do you think, does Judas want to betray Jesus? What preparations are made for the Passover? What is the significance of the extent of Jesus’ knowledge?

Mark 14:14-31 – What does Jesus know about the man who will betray him? What do you learn about Jesus’ covenant in verses 22-25? How do you share in this covenant? What predictions does Jesus make about himself (See Zech. 13:7)?

Mark 14:32-65 – What do you think are Jesus’ feelings when he sees that the disciples sleep while he prays? How complete is Jesus’ prayer in verse 36? How do you express your desires and submission to God? Who appears most composed during the trial in verses 53-65? How do you account for this composure?

Mark 14:66-72 – Does Peter keep to his commitment of verses 29-31? Why do you think, does Peter react this way? How do you handle your own unfaithfulness to God? What is the source of your self-confidence?

Feel free to respond with a short note or a comment about any of the questions above. Also, I welcome any other thoughts or ideas, favorite inspirational videos, photos, or favorite Bible verses. Just add them to the comments.

Resources and Supplementary Helps Used in Posts
Adeney, Carol. This Morning with God: A Daily Study Guide to the Entire Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1978. Print.

“Sermons.” Sermons | FUMC Waco. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://fumcwaco.org/resources/sermons/>.

“Bible.” The Bible – The Word of God – ChristNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2017. <http://www.christianity.com/bible/>.

Nicholes, Lou. “Recent Commentaries.” Family-Times.net – Devotional Commentary Index. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.family-times.net/commentary/>.

“Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

“BibleGateway.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.biblegateway.com/>.

To store up thoughts that are good for the soul, listen to a sermon. Download the free app in the App Store or on Google Play. Look for First Waco.

Posted in Bible Study, Devotionals, Questions for Reflection | Tagged Bible Study, Christ, Faith, God’s Plan, Holy Spirit, Hope, Leadership, Lessons, Life, Love, Prayer, Reflection, Scripture | 1 Comment

Spiritual Journey Through Mark 12

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Mark Shields

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been focusing on Mark 12 and sharing some thoughts that benefit us in our current situation but also help the next generation too! The greatest of all possessions one can hand off to future generations are the guiding principles taught by Christ Jesus.

Within the post “Kneeling to Pray Gives Strength to Stand” are thoughts on “The Parable of the Tenants”. One lesson from this parable is that if you accept His Son, then God will accept you into an amazing future in which the impossible becomes possible. You will be able to use your individual strengths for the glory of His kingdom. There will be calmness because you will accept your lot in life, focus on what you can do, accept His help, and just be the awesome person you were meant to be.

A great lesson was learned from Jesus as explained in the post “Don’t Get Bitten”. The lesson is to use our common sense when the world wants to bite us with its poisonous venom. To be equipped with wisdom from God’s word to handle those who want to cause harm. The religious and political leaders were trying to bite Jesus with a poison that could kill by asking about paying taxes but His clever answer avoided their plan.

Written about in the post “Correct Wrong Assertions” is a lesson Jesus gives us which is to make sure the questions being asked to us are based on the right premise. If we accept the premise others have, we give credence to their way of thinking which may be way off base. Instead, correct the wrong assertion and explain why the question is meaningless.

Shared in the post “Loving God and Neighbor” is that loving your neighbor is the most important commandment. Love is life and you never fail as long as love is in your heart so desire to learn the principles of Christ, invite Him into your heart to guide your every step, and build a bridge from a place of doom to a place where you flourish and bloom.

A take away from the post “Giving Total Effort” is that the widow was willing to do something that the scribes were not and she produced a positive example that the scribes couldn’t match up to. Many gave large amounts to the temple treasury but their contribution was a small portion of their total wealth. On the other hand, the poor widow gave just two small copper coins worth a few cents but she gave all she had.

Keep up with my spiritual journey over the next few weeks either through following this blog or the Facebook page I’ve set up at this link: This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey. Let’s share thoughts or ideas about applying our faith in current times.